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5/5 rDev +16.6%look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2015: still by far my favorite IIPA. Absolutely perfect nose of Mosaic happiness and just a hint of honey like sweetness. Luscious grapefruit and orange bomb that somehow defines and defies the idea of a "balanced" IPA. Amazing when fresh yet still impressive when unintentionally aged. Perfect beer in my book. 5+

Poured into snifter from 12 oz bottled on March 5, 2015A- copper-orange hue with small white head. Small bubbles that left a good lace down the glass. S- straight mango and tropical fruit with some apricot and citrus notes as well. T- follows the nose with mango, honey, sweet malt balance. M- medium, avg carbonation, hides the big abv well. O- really good DIPA. Up there in the upper echelon.

The beer pours a nice white and bubbly head that dissipates quickly but still leaves a small film. The beer itself is a clear deep amber that borders on a copper brown color. The beer leaves quite a bit of lacing

The beer smell is extremely tropical and hoppy. The hop smell comes into stages. The stronger notes come off as tropical and fruity such as pineapple and mango. The weaker notes are a bit more pine resin scented but re not very strong.

The beer taste itself has a a strong resemblance to the taste but with a stronger nugget hop presence. The taste is primarily hoppy with a really nice sweetness at the beginning. The hop notes at the start are tropical fruits such as pineapple with a bit of mango. The tropical notes are mixed with a more bitter pine resin note that lingers into the aftertaste.

The mouthfeel is heavy bodied but very smooth. The beer has some carbonation and gives it a little bit of texture and bite. The overall feel is pretty smooth and goes down easy.

Overall, this is a fantastic DIPA and one I highly recommend. The beer has a whole bunch of notes that makes it taste like a tropical paradise, and definitely a welcome sight during the cold.

One of the best double IPA's I have ever tasted. Incredibly balanced, nice hop vs. fruit hit, great drinkability. Not nearly as bitter as you would expect for 9+ ABV (will sneak up on you quickly if having more than one). Terrific IPA!!

Appearance: Deep amber/copper colored pour with a dense white cap. Head retention is good and appears still in the glass.

Flavor: Big grapefruit juice citrus blast on the front end. A touch of caramel sweetness that is quickly beaten back by the citrus hop notes. A touch of booziness in the background. Hop flavors favor pine and citrus notes. Balance is firmly bitter. Finish is clean and dry.

Overall impression: The alcohol is a bit much for me to call "world class" as others have done. However, the hop aroma and flavor are so unique and distinct that I find this really enjoyable. I prefer my DIPA's and IPA's dry and drinkable and this is getting into American Barleywine territory for me. Regardless, it's well crafted and a unique one to savor. Well done GLBC!

Perfect beer for hop heads who want that great, bitter flavor. The aroma on this brew is what really sets it apart and makes it unique. As an Ohioan who loves Great Lakes and Ohio brews, this is one of my favorites!

P poured one and a half bottles into an imperial nonic with a godd rich amber tinged deep golden,a one finger bone white head atop.Aromas of grapefruit rind,sweet alcohol,and a bit more grassy hoppiness.Sharp and in your face grapefruit flavors along with some grassy/herbal hops over top of sweet sugary alcohol,it's sweet but the hops win out here.Alot if not most of the beer of this style are too sugary sweet,this is pretty sweet but it has intense hops to combat that sweetness,a great beer from what I consider a top 3 in the midwest brewery.

Can never turn down a new brew from Great Lakes. Especially a DIPA. Alchemy Hour pours out seemingly thick and quiet into the glass - amber in color with light, copper edges and decent clarity. A thick, foamy head emerges slowly; light beige, leaving very nice lacing on its way down.

The aroma is quite nice; tropical and fruity with noticeable mango, pineapple, and guava. Right alongside the tropical madness is a spicy counterpart, made up of light white pepper and a mildly abrasive hop profile; ashy, herbal, leafy. Caramel malts are plentiful enough to be picked out on the nose, but it's not fooling anybody. This beer is all about the hops, and the aroma will clearly signify that.

Mild sweetness in the form of honey-coated tropical fruits; oranges, pineapple, apricot - just a few of the things I notice upon taking my first sip. Immediately after, however, I'm quickly hit with a growing bitterness and the vegetal hops come alive before you get a chance to appreciate the citrus. Earthy, herbal, and a bit of spice, most likely white pepper. Some light alcohol is present in the taste and provides a strong, warming feeling. Malts give off a solid and surprisingly well-balanced attack of light buttered bread and caramel. There's a nice, lasting bitterness in the aftertaste with a dying ashy hop flavor - very mild citrus.

So being the slow drinker I am, I actually enjoyed this over the course of close to 45 minutes. And by the end, as the temperature of the beer got much closer to room, the flavor profile changed quite a bit. The bitterness was much more tame, there was a big-time honey flavor in the aftertaste, and the fruits just exploded - such juicy grapefruit, mango, pineapple, apricot - again, all sealed with a sweet honey coating. It almost felt like I was drinking two different beers - both of which were delicious. The ashy and bitter DIPA mixed with the fruity and sweet DIPA. Quite impressive. A bit sticky on the mouth, full bodied and slick.

Great Lakes basically never lets me down. Alchemy Hour is no exception. This is a fantastic, readily available (in the Midwest) DIPA with a great flavor profile, and I was lucky enough to have a few bottles that were barely two weeks old. I'll definitely be getting more.

Quite simply the best thing Great Lakes has done. And they don't miss often. Good hop up front but mellows quite nicely. The ABV is sneaky on this one. A couple pints of this will surely wash away the rigors of the day. If HopSlam was to your liking, then you have just found a fine substitute.